Hanoi Annoyance – The Tour Guide From Hell

Throughout a recent cycling trip between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City I wasn’t looking to die – but nobody told the tour guide.

Our guide, a Vietnamese local and veteran of cycling tours, was ‘over it’. Moody, uncommunicative, rude and vulnerable to altering the itinerary if this suited him, he were able to offend each of the eight cyclists around the trip. However, I truly did not expect he may kill us.

Day 5 on the 15 day tour began badly. Among the group had damaged her arm by her left brake rather of the correct one and jettisoned within the handlebars. She’d to visit hospital and it was supported by her friend which meant i was reduced to 6. Soon after this another cyclist was hurt as he unsuccessful to duck within taut, black line put up between two houses around the primary thoroughfare of the fishing village and cycled directly into it. He received a red, gashing scar and it was lucky he had not been decapitated.

Anxious to get away from the accident prone fishing village – and reduced to several five – i was relieved to approach the borders of Hoi-An. We stopped in a traffic light behind our guide. However, he unsuccessful to note ( or did not care) that people had stopped on the eco-friendly light. Rather, once the light switched red he trigger with all of those other group behind him. Having faith in he understood what he was doing, i was confused when countless motor cycles descended here. It had been far too late to show back, we’d to cycle and dodge all of them.

We faced our tour guide who shrugged and denied behaving dangerously. He eventually conceded his mistake when among the group yelled and shocked him into an apology. Several minutes later he was laughing about this together with his Vietnamese support team who’d sensibly stopped around the sore point. However, it had not been funny. I was very cautious about him next and learnt hard way to not trust him.

I reflected upon the numerous accidents he’d pointed out happening on previous tours because of harmful roads and too little cyclist concentration. I started to consider otherwise and our guide made an appearance more ominous because he grew to become more and more tetchy and hostile.

Fortunately, there have been forget about serious accidents around the tour but we could not believe we had not been seriously hurt.

Should you go cycling through Vietnam by having an unpredictable and moody tour guide just get and try out alive!